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Report denied

November 28, 2012 - Mike McLain

The Browns released a statement today denying that former NFL coach and current Monday Night Football announcer Jon Gruden was offered a stake in the ownership of the Browns to coach at the University of Tennessee, which fired football coach Derek Dooley last week.

"Jimmy Haslam has no involvement in the University of Tennessee head coaching search, and the report that Jon Gruden would potentially have an ownership stake in the Browns is completely erroneous,' the statement read.

Haslam, who assumed ownership of the Browns in October, is from Tennessee, where his Pilot Flying J enterprise operates out of Knoxville. He has some associations with the University of Tennessee and is perceived to have an influence on the coaching hire.

Gruden last coached in the NFL in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year he became the sole color analysts on ESPN's Monday Night telecasts when Ron Jaworski was let go. Gruden has done Monday Night Football since 2009.